The many potential uses of FTP hosting and online storage

Business

Technical

19th March 2014 Ridgeon Network

When a UK business enquires about FTP hosting, they are typically looking to boost operational functionality and efficiency to provide its employees, clients and customers with the best possible collaboration service. Although there are many Internet based solutions that can assist in this, firms are frequently attracted to the greater potential that business-oriented FTP hosting gives them for the secure storage and exchange of online files.

The actual files that can be shared via FTP hosting, for instance, include artwork, video content and the largest files that would be difficult to store or exchange any other way, as well as project data and documentation. Organisations often choose FTP hosting for the purpose of ISDN replacement for large/secure transfers or for press assets and public resource distribution, with a 'shared area' also being provided to colleagues and clients.

Many organisations will enquire about an FTP hosting solution for the first time having encountered difficulties with sending especially large files over email, given the limits placed on this by email service providers. With an Internet based solution of this kind, not only can it be ensured that the important files are securely sent over a secure encrypted channel, but there is also no limit to the size of the files that can be sent. In the event of an interruption to the connection, FTP uploads can simply be resumed, while restrictions can also be placed on access to the files sent by your business.

The most common security requirement is to prevent certain files being easily seen by irrelevant clients or departments and this is the reason many businesses may first contact a company like Ridgeon Network about an FTP hosting package. Clients or departments can be isolated accordingly, with each isolated user having a user space of their own, but nor is there any compromise to the administrator's ability to view all folders at a higher level. Should you desire that users can see certain multiple folders without gaining access to the entire file system, using 'virtual paths' or 'shortcut links'.

This leaves just a few more of the most oft-repeated priorities among those firms asking about FTP hosting: that for secure online backup and disaster recovery, and the requirement for appropriate automation, data processing and application integration. Firstly, the right system will double as an off-site backup repository, giving the client organisation quick access to files, should they need to be recovered following a disaster.

FTP storage from Ridgeon Network can also serve as a central data repository for distributed processing systems, with FTP, Secure FTP and SSH access and the option for integration into the client company's coding and scripting projects. Such functionalities help to make FTP hosting an even more easily justified business investment for those firms that could stand to benefit considerably in terms of operational and cost-efficiency.